Military medicine · 2015 · DOI
This review article examines how ME/CFS is currently defined and proposes that our understanding of the illness needs to be updated. The authors, writing in a military medicine context, suggest that the condition extends beyond what the traditional name 'Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome' captures. The paper calls for a broader perspective on how this serious illness should be recognized and understood.
Redefining ME/CFS more accurately could improve clinical recognition, reduce diagnostic delays, and ensure patients receive appropriate care. Better case definitions and nomenclature are essential for conducting high-quality research and advocating for adequate resources and support for those affected.
This review does not present new empirical data or clinical evidence proving specific mechanisms of ME/CFS. It does not establish new biomarkers, treatment efficacy, or disease etiology—rather, it offers a critique of existing definitions. The conclusions represent expert opinion and are not based on original experimental or observational studies.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Unknown authors (2015). Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Redefining an Illness.. Military medicine. https://doi.org/10.7205/MILMED-D-15-00085
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-unknown-2015-beyond-myalgic,
author = {Unknown, Author},
title = {Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Redefining an Illness.},
journal = {Military medicine},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.7205/MILMED-D-15-00085},
note = {PubMed: 26126237},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/unknown-2015-beyond-myalgic},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/unknown-2015-beyond-myalgic
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